


Fly with me, Dandelion!

by nothelarifari



Category: Monsta X, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Anxiety, Car Accidents, Caring, Depression, Designated for another, Drama, First Love, Friendship, Loss, Love Triangles, Lovers, M/M, Passion, Photography, Sad, Trauma, University, kpop, long story, soft, soulmate sign
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-05-23 06:39:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14929130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothelarifari/pseuds/nothelarifari
Summary: This story tells about Yoo Kihyun - a photography student who is still searching for his designated soulmate. He tends to overthink everything and somehow began to accept the fact that he probably won't find his soulmate.But one day out of nowhere destiny decided differently and showed him what love could be...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My friend Nami and I started this story a few months ago after our first story ("Bury Our Love In Moondust"). Both stories became a big part of our lives and we are glad that we can share it with you!
> 
> However, due to personal difficulties, Nami and I decided to go different ways which will not affect the stories in any way. The story will still continue as planned. Since I'll continue to write both stories alone from now on I decided to focus on one story first for now and will add new chapters when "Bury Our Love In Moondust" will be finished.
> 
> Credits to Nami for chapter 1-6
> 
> Please keep in mind that I'm not a native speaker and that some mistakes could occur. Nevertheless, I hope you give this story a lot of love and enjoy it as much as we do!
> 
> ❀ Lara

Finding your soulmate was something beautiful; to find someone who gives you strength, energy and accepts you for who you are, someone who will tread the path of life with you and will stay until the end.

Kihyun never thought about it that way, that a soulmate could have such an impact on you. It wasn’t because he didn’t have a sign, he actually had one on his right upper arm, which he liked to trace with his fingertips. But sadly he hadn’t met his soulmate yet and he was kind of sick of the fact that everyone made a big deal out of it. It wasn’t like you could search for soulmates on some random platform, at least not without consequences. It was way more complicated – it’s more like a lucky coincidence the universe enabled and that bound two people to each other. He’d heard scary stories about people who had been playing with their fate and tried to create an easier way to find their soulmate, but even if they had managed to trick their destiny and found their soulmates, the consequences were to be expelled from the system. Which meant that your designated soulmate would no longer notice you and you wouldn’t be able to notice the other one either if you encountered each other. There were a lot of rumors about how the universe punished people who worked against its plans.

Just as everybody else, Kihyun always wondered what his soulmate would be like and if he would like her or him in the first place without even knowing of each other’s bond. He would hate it if they liked each other just because the universe decided they’re soulmates. “Just because of a stupid sign,” he thought. Since the day he understood what it meant, he felt like this perception of falling in love was kind of cruel and sad. He was one of those people who tended to overthink everything. What if you had already fallen in love with someone who wasn’t “the one” and then you ended up torn by contradicting feelings? Or what if something happened to your soulmate and you ended up dealing with life-long trauma? Or – the worst case Kihyun was concerned about – you wait for your designated partner and stay single, but you never find them in the end. He had heard a lot of tragic stories, which created kind of a doom loop in Kihyun’s mind that kept creating doubt, because even the universe could make mistakes, right?

It was already afternoon, which meant that his shift would start soon, so he got himself ready for work and grabbed his key, phone and wallet. He chose to wear a sweater since he didn’t like it when people could see his soulmate sign. After a last check in the mirror, he set off to the coffee shop where he had been working part-time for nearly a year now. As soon as he arrived, he put his apron on and started his daily routine – taking orders from customers and bringing them their chosen food or drink or preparing it for take-away. It was an easy job he enjoyed and also a perfect opportunity to earn some money he needed to afford his apartment and pay college tuitions while attending university.

After half of his shift was finished, a group of college students entered the shop. Kihyun’s eyes fell on one of them, who wore a white cotton shirt and slim black jeans. The unknown guy’s smile spread over his whole face – he was definitely having a good time with his friends. He stepped forward and started ordering while Kihyun’s eyes got wider as he realized that this unknown guy had a dandelion on his left upper arm – Kihyun’s soulmate-sign.

Kihyun was completely speechless at that moment. The situation was just so surreal. He never thought that his soulmate would appear just like that … Out of nowhere, he stood in front of him in his shop, at his counter and during his shift. He had been waiting for this moment for such a long time and now this costumer with an identical sign just turned up at his workplace.

He would never have thought he would meet his soulmate like this and that he would be a boy. Sure, even some friends of him had soulmates of the same gender, but he had never considered that he could be connected to a boy, too. His mind got flooded with thoughts at this moment – they got tangled tighter and tighter. All he was able to hear was a whirring sound in his head, which muted the boy’s voice who was still trying to order his drinks. Kihyun kept staring straight through the boy until the other reached out to touch his hand. “Are you alright? Is there something wrong?” the boy asked with big eyes and a concerned but also playful smile on his face. 

This immediately woke Kihyun from his trance. “Ehm, yeah, I’m fine!” he assured, knowing that he definitely wasn’t. “I’ll just take your order and then take a break. Thanks for asking, though,” he added shyly.

“Wow, the first thing I ever said to him was already a lie,” Kihyun thought.

The boy was still smiling and ordered a croissant and an Americano to take away. After Kihyun had prepared his order, he asked for the other boy’s name. “Oh, sure … My name is Changkyun,” he answered. Kihyun’s hands were shaking when he wrote it on the cup, which ended up making his writing kind of blurry. “What a beautiful name … Have a nice day,” Kihyun answered with a cheeky smile.

After Kihyun finished Changkyun’s order, he loosened his apron and sat down on the chair next to his counter to let one of the other employees deal with taking the orders of Changkyun’s friends. Kihyun thought about whether he should tell him about their matching mark right away or if he should try to get to know him first. However, after one last moment of eye contact, the group of boys was already about to leave the coffee shop.

Kihyun panicked for a second and told his co-workers that he needed to go home because he wasn’t feeling good. Without any further explanation, he left his apron on the shelf, took his back bag from behind the counter and followed the group at a safe distance down the street.

While walking, he tried to put on his jacket and bury his hands in its pockets because he realized he was feeling pretty nervous and didn’t know where to put them. He still couldn’t believe that this boy, who had the lovely name ‘Changkyun’, was his soulmate. His hands were so soft when he touched his, he could still feel his tender touch on his fingertips. Kihyun smiled a bit, not knowing why this memory of a stranger touching his hand made him this happy.

While the boys were talking and laughing, Kihyun noticed that Changkyun seemed to be the funniest guy in the group. He appeared to be really charismatic and had this carefree aura that made everyone happy, which was the complete opposite of Kihyun. He was rarely out with other people, he preferred to be by himself and find beautiful but secluded spots in the city. Not long ago, he had found a small but decent bookstore that sold some old books containing photography collections from different eras which amazed him. Photography was a passion of his. At first, it was simply a hobby. He used to relax and sort out his mind while taking photos of his surroundings, but he had been also studying photography at a local college for a few years now. He always hoped to be a well-known photographer someday and show people how he saw the world through his photographs. But when he was out with people, he was sort of introverted and didn’t talk a lot. He also didn’t have that many friends, just two which also attended his university and another one he had known since his childhood days.

While walking behind them, Kihyun thought he recognized the place Changkyun and his friends were apparently heading to. It was a bar where you could play pool and other sorts of games. After entering, they ordered some drinks and made themselves comfortable while preparing a game of pool. Kihyun took a seat, ordered a coke and tried to not be too obvious while watching the boys. He was so curious about Changkyun and couldn’t wait to know more about him, the mysterious boy who shared his mark that suddenly appeared during work. “The mark,” Kihyun thought. “Maybe it’s just a tattoo and not a soulmark. It’s not even on his right arm, but on the opposite one. And the symbol, a dandelion was a pretty sought-out design for a tattoo, after all. Maybe all of this is just a huge misunderstanding.” Kihyun started to get continuously more anxious about the whole situation and suddenly didn’t know what to do anymore.

Being so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice that he was scratching his inner arm. It was a habit he’s had since he was a child which he resorted to when he started to overthink or get nervous and anxious.

The boys were still playing pool when Kihyun thought about looking for help on the internet … He wondered if something similar had happened to someone before. Typing Soul mark on another body part, he impatiently waited for the website to load. Suddenly a voice distracted Kihyun from his thoughts.  
“Anything else to drink?”

Kihyun was about to send the waiter away when he looked up and saw that Changkyun was standing in front of him with a bright smile.

“Oh, ehm, Changkyun was it, right? What a coincidence,” Kihyun stuttered awkwardly. “Wow … Second lie, check,” he thought.

Changkyun sat himself down on the other side of the booth and said, “You know, I noticed that you followed us here after we ordered our coffee.” Kihyun’s cheeks blushed out of embarrassment. “Okay, look, I knew something was wrong when I tried to order and you just disappeared … like, you totally blocked me out. I’m just a little confused, I guess. Do we know each other?”

Kihyun cleared his throat and answered, “No, we don’t know each other yet. My name is Kihyun and, well, I don’t know how to explain this, to be honest.”

“Just try and I’ll do my best to understand, okay? There’s nothing to be scared of.” Changkyun laughed but looked down on the table where Kihyun’s phone was laying. Kihyun forgot to lock the screen and when the page finally finished loading, it attracted Changkyun’s attention. His smile faded and even though the room was full of joyous, laughing people who were drinking and playing pool, there was sudden silence in the room between the both of them. Changkyun must have stared at the screen for about a minute and kept overthinking the situation – connecting the way Kihyun stare at his soulmark in the shop, him following them to the bar and now the search request on the other’s phone.

Kihyun observed Changkyun’s expressions to figure out what he might be thinking. It seemed as if they had changed roles somehow. He decided he needed to take control of the situation, but was too scared to form any words, so he simply pulled his hoodie over his head and exposed his soulmark to Changkyun. The other was clearly overwhelmed and shocked. Changkyun definitely didn’t expect this conversation to develop like this. Kihyun wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to break the silence and felt a little sick with nerves. But what bothered him most was that he had no idea if Changkyun’s shocked expression was a good or a bad sign. 

“Please tell me this isn’t a tattoo or something,” Kihyun whispered, unable to speak louder now that he finally asked him the question that was torturing him. Even though he knew that the other probably wouldn’t react like this if it was just a tattoo, he couldn’t be entirely sure. Changkyun still looked at the phone and Kihyun noticed his hesitation. Kihyun began to wonder if the other had heard his question at all.

Just as he was about to repeat it, Changkyun finally answered, “No, don’t worry. I guess our search for our soulmates is over now.” After he finished talking, he finally showed this sweet smile of him again. Kihyun felt relieved and let himself fall against the backrest with a drawn-out sigh. However, he still couldn’t fully relax since he wasn’t prepared to meet his soulmate like this at all.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Kihyun answered with an awkward laugh while absentmindedly scratching his mark again. “Damn, why is this so hard?” he thought to himself.

Changkyun looked at Kihyun with his dark brown eyes and started to study him a bit. He could see how uncomfortable Kihyun felt and that how he kept nervously scratching his mark. Not so hard that it would hurt him, but his skin was already starting to turn quite red. His gaze was also not on Changkyun but was wandering somewhere else which also clearly how anxious he was. There had to be a way to make him more comfortable, to let him feel good. Changkyun leaned forward towards Kihyun and asked with a hushed voice, “If you want, we can get out of the bar and talk for a bit?”

Kihyun didn’t expect such a considerate and actually didn’t want to disturb Changkyun’s meet-up with his friends, but on the other hand, he would love to get to know his soulmate better. He wanted to know all sort of things about the other and his life, like what motivation keeps him going and what his passions and inspirations were, but he was also interested in the simpler things, like whether the other was a student or had a full-time job. He wanted to know all about what kind of music he enjoyed or if he liked to read a lot. Kihyun wanted to hear the other talk about all of these little things, but he felt like he couldn’t just outright ask.

“Nah, I’m good, you don’t need to worry about me. I didn’t even want to disturb your evening, so if you want to, you can go back to playing pool with your friends.” Another lie, the third one today. He tried to give him a sweet smile, but Changkyun could still see how uncomfortable he was.

“Don’t bullshit me, I can nearly physically feel that you don’t want to be here. Let’s get out and walk a bit,” Changkyun answered in a firm but nevertheless kind way.

Kihyun agreed and took his backpack after paying for his drink. Before leaving, Changkyun gave his friends a wave to let them know that he wouldn’t be joining them for the next rounds.

When the pair left the bar, Changkyun broke the silence a few steps down the road. “Okay, let’s get to know each other … Tell me something about you!”, he said cheerfully with his distinctive smile.


	2. Chapter 2

The boys walked a bit down the street side by side and enjoyed the view of the Cheonggyecheon river while the boy's silhouettes got projected by the lightning that was placed around the river bank.  
"So, where should I start... ehm my biggest passion is to take pictures. Mostly people or objects in my surrounding to capture special moments that would probably be forgotten fast. That's why I started studying photography at the Shingu College which is far away from my apartment that I share with a friend. His name is Yoongi and I know him since my childhood. It's a quite small apartment for two people but it's alright for the price, I guess. We tried to make it as comfortable and cozy as possible. And it's not far away from my working place which I only do to afford my tuition fees and to pay my part of the rent." Kihyun told his designated other who was still analyzing Kihyun's facial features.  
"But if you hadn't started working there in the first place we wouldn't have met.", Changkyun answered smiling. Kihyun stopped and gestured Changkyun to join him to sit on the stairs that lead into the river. "I guess now it's my turn to let you see into my life, right?", Changkyun added.  
Kihyun watched how the wind created tiny waves on the water which spread the lighting in all direction and produced a unique beautiful pattern on Changkyun's face. At this sight, he felt that urgent need of taking a picture to capture Changkyun at this moment.  
"You should know that I am an open person. I always try to take care of people and that I do know when people need help... that's why I knew that you didn't tell me the truth earlier in the coffee shop, but I do understand now why you acted like that... it must have been quite a shock.", Changkyun said thoughtfully. "However, I guess you're more interested in hearing about my hobbies and interests.", Changkyun laughed. But at this point, he was wrong because Kihyun wanted to know everything—every little detail that he should know about his soulmate.  
"The guys in there in the bar are my older brother's friends. We used to make music together and I wrote a lot of the lyrics we used... I still write poetry and lyrics, although we stopped making music which makes me a little sad, I guess they have other interests now and after all, I'm still just my brother's little sibling."  
Kihyun could feel that making music meant a lot to Changkyun and wished he could listen to his music, read his poems and writings just as much as he wished he could show Changkyun his photographs. He didn't know where those feelings came from all out of a sudden because this boy was still just a stranger to him after all. But the thoughts and doubts which were haunting him all his life— the thoughts about if he would develop feelings for his soulmate before he would even get to know him were still in his mind. Sure it was somehow weird for him but even though Changkyun was just a stranger he felt something that was stronger than his doubts. Something that made Kihyun wanting to hear everything.

Kihyun seemed to stare at Changkyun because he looked at him with an inquiring look on his face. But Kihyun was just amazed by his face and how beautiful it looked while he was telling Kihyun about himself.  
Changkyun smiled when he noticed Kihyun's stare. He seemed flattered by it and looked back on the river again, gazing the water and its moves.  
"How did you feel knowing that there is a soulmate out there which was designated for you, but you still hadn't met her... or him? Especially because… you know… since we are pretty late." Changkyun asked him.  
Normally, people find their soulmates in their teenage phase or earlier. Some would even get together in kindergarten, well knowing that they'll spend their lives together and won't have to search for their partner anymore.  
Changkyun wanted to know if Kihyun was obsessive when it came to finding his soulmate or if he didn't make a big fuss around it.  
Kihyun took his knees up into his hands and said nervously: "It wasn't that bad, to be honest. At first, I never understood the reason of a soulmate, you know? Having someone that is destined for you by the ‘universe'", he portrayed the quotation marks with his fingers, "is somewhat ridiculous, but sure it made me feel uncomfortable, knowing that everyone found their significant other and I'm the only one that couldn't find his."  
Kihyun started to smile when he again realizes that he finally found his soulmate. "But the last few months weren't that bad. I became used to it and I wasn't even that concentrated to find my significant other anymore... I was more concentrated to accomplish my finals in university." Kihyun chuckled to himself and Changkyun followed him. Changkyun believed him, he could feel his honesty and out of nowhere he carefully put his arm around Kihyun and leaned against him, his head on the other's shoulder.  
Kihyun felt that warm feeling in his chest that you feel when somebody that you have a crush on smiles at you from the other side of the hallway at school. But this time it was more than a smile, a hug, a tough that Kihyun answered by also leaning his head on Changkyun's.  
Both of them were watching the river and how the little waves were clutching against the sides of the stairs.  
This feeling of finally having each other and having a save place in somebody else's arms made this moment so intense.  
Both remained silent for quite some time and at this point, Changkyun decided something. "Why should I wait? I waited so long… and so did he.", he thought and did something that Kihyun didn't expect.  
Kihyun felt how Changkyun's hand slowly moved from his upper arm up to his shoulder and further up to his neck. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against Changkyun's thumb which started to gently trace Kihyun's jawline. "I often had those days where I wished I had somebody on my side and now we found each other. I looked for a long time just to find you and I want to make it easy for us, I want to know how you are, how you feel tonight and all the following ones. I want you to be honest with me... always.", Changkyun whispered into Kihyun's right ear while his hand was still tracing Kihyun's jawline.  
"You want the truth?", Kihyun paused.  
"I am frustrated…"  
Out of uncertainty, Changkyun let his hand go from Kihyun's jaw back down to his shoulder. Changkyun was so sure that Kihyun felt the same but now he wasn't sure anymore. Maybe he had a wrong picture and Kihyun wanted to take it slower after all. Kihyun turned to face Changkyun while his hand was still holding onto Kihyun's shoulder.  
"I'm frustrated about how long it took us to meet." Kihyun continued with a shivering voice which put Changkyun at ease again.  
The boys didn't feel as if they only knew each other for hours. The whole situation, their sudden feelings and the electric currents they felt weren't rushed at all. At that moment in which both were conscious about their identical soulmarks, everything was perfectly clear for Kihyun. They finally knew what made them feel incomplete all those years and knowing that they found that one person that the universe decided they should be together with, made them feel like those lonely days fell into oblivion.

Kihyun looked into his eyes and carefully led his own hand onto Changkyun's cheek, the palm of his hand carefully touching Changkyun's chin. With shivering motions, his thumb slowly curved around his bottom lip as he suddenly felt how Changkyun let his hand wander up to Kihyun's neck again while his torso leaned closer to Kihyun's. "I'm glad you found me.", Changkyun whispered smiling and kissed him gently.  
When the boys let go of their lips they remained with closed eyes and balanced their foreheads against each other. They opened their eyes, started smiling over their whole face and laughed.  
The next moment one of the boys from Changkyun's group found them and screamed: "Hey kid, we want to go home… We are waiting!" Changkyun suddenly took his had and helped him up to his feet just with one push. He didn't look like that at all but he was unexpectedly strong.  
Kihyun couldn't think about a moment in which he felt that happy and completed before and couldn't stop thinking about this experience he had with Changkyun just a moment ago. The whole situation felt just right, and he couldn't believe that it actually happened – it felt more like a dream or an illusion. He felt a bit flustered after that friend of Changkyun found them because this moment was so personal and he would have loved to enjoy that moment on the river bank a little longer. But he was happy and relieved, knowing that they will have so much time to experience the world together from now on.  
"Sorry for the wait… We just got to know each other.", Changkyun said smirking while grabbing Kihyun's right hand, which revealed their matching soul marks. The boy got the hint immediately and had to chuckle.  
As the three of them went back into the bar and joined the group everybody remained silent because they didn't want to make a big thing out of the situation and wanted to stay in their own little bubble for a little longer. After a few minutes with the group which was still debating about the winner of their last game, Kihyun looked at his phone and saw some notifications from Yoongi who was wondering where Kihyun had been all day long and if everything was alright.  
It was nearly 11 pm by then and the evening was young, but he needed to go home even though he wanted to spend the rest of it with Changkyun. He was a bit worried about Yoongi because he didn't speak to him all day and he didn't know if he maybe had one of those bad days again which happened more frequently this time of the year.  
He tapped Changkyun's shoulder and squeezed his hand softly so that he would get his attention. "Even though you make it really difficult to say goodbye… I need to go home. I'm worried about my roommate.", Kihyun said silently. Changkyun squeezed his hand too and caressed his knuckles with his thumb. "It's okay, babe, but first we should exchange our numbers, alright?", he answered in his deep voice. Kihyun turns all red because of the pet name Changkyun gave him. He never had one before and it felt weird at first. He turned all red and he felt how his cheeks became warm. They exchanged their phones to type in each other's numbers. Changkyun named himself "Changkyunnie" and before giving him his phone back he sneakily sent himself a heart emoji. Kihyun had to laugh when he saw the notification on Changkyun's phone while he was still saving his own number in the contact list.  
After a long hug, they kissed each other again to say goodbye. Kihyun stroke the side where Changkyun's ribs where and with the other hand he caressed his neck softly. He could feel the smile on Changkyun's lips and when they departed both started laughing again because the others started cheering. "Please get home safely.", he whispered which made Kihyun so unbelievably happy. "I will, I promise", Kihyun answered and turned around.  
On his way home, he was full of emotions and energy and started listening to some music to calm himself a little bit. Even though it made him incredibly nervous and anxious, he was relieved to say that it was a good idea to follow him and somehow show him the mark. The happy thoughts and feelings he felt for Changkyun made him also more comfortable about the fact that Changkyun's mark was on the other arm. "It must be normal… it must be.", he thought, which brought back a little smile before he rang the doorbell to their apartment followed by vibrating noise which let him open the front door of the building.


End file.
